WAUSAU – A rabid fox was found at the Wausau Municipal Airport and had to be euthanized.

The fox tested positive last week for rabies and was in “severe distress,” according to a Marathon County Health Department news release issued Friday.

The Health Department did not receive any reports of people needing rabies shots in the area.

Infected animals transmit rabies through bites, scratches or saliva, according to the news release. Anyone who might have come in contact with a wild or stray animal in any of those ways should call their health care provider or the Health Department at 715-261-1900.

Those exposed to rabid animals will need rabies shots, according to the release. Anyone waking up with a bat in the room should call the Health Department and see a doctor, even if evidence of a bite or scratch is not apparent.

Signs of rabies in animals include:

• Nocturnal animals out in the day

• Wild animals approaching humans or other animals

• Animals having difficulty walking or moving

• Animals that are very aggressive or very weak, with excessive saliva

The Health Department recommends avoiding wild or unfamiliar animals, keeping pets’ rabies shots up to date, supervising pets when they are outside, keeping bats out of living areas, not feeding or handling wild or stray animals, and reporting sick, injured or dead animals to the Rib Mountain Department of Natural Resources office at 715-359-4522.